[Enesta Jones]
Hello, I'm Enesta Jones of
EPA's Office of Public Affairs.
Welcome to Green Scene,
an environmental podcast
you can take
with you.
Two of the most common sources
of lead poisoning are from
exposure to deteriorating
lead-based paint and to
lead dust generate from
renovation and repair
activities in older
homes and buildings.
In today's economy many people
are deciding to do their own
projects to save money,
including renovating
their home.
EPA wants to make sure that if
you choose to go that route,
you're not putting your family
at risk of lead poisoning.
To tell us more about how
you can do it yourself and
protect your family is
Wendy Cleland-Hamnett,
the acting office director for
EPA's Office of Pollution
Prevention and Toxics.
Wendy, welcome
to the show.
[Wendy Cleland-Hamnett]
Thank you, Enesta.
[Enesta Jones]
So, Wendy, why is it important
for people, especially parents,
to be concerned about exposure
to lead in paint?
[Wendy Cleland-Hamnett]
Lead is very toxic, and infants
and young children are more
likely to be exposed to lead in
dust because young children
crawl around on the floor,
they put their hands in
their mouths, they put their
toys and other objects
in their mouths that are likely
to have dust on them.
Children are also very
susceptible to the toxic
effects of lead.
Because their bodies are
growing and developing,
they absorb more
of the lead.
And even low doses of lead
can cause effects like
behavioral problems and
learning problems.
And high levels of lead
in children can result
in very serious problems like
seizures or even death.
So it's very important that we
protect children from exposure
to lead in dust.
The good news is that we
have made great strides
in doing that.
Back in 1978, 30 years ago,
the CDC estimated that there
were about 3 million children in
the U.S. who had high blood lead
levels, and in 2002 the CDC
reported that that number
had been reduced by 90 percent
to about 300,000 children,
and recently they think that
number has gone even lower.
But we still have a
lot of work to do.
[Enesta Jones]
Last year the agency
issued a final rule:
Aim to prevent
lead poisoning.
Can you tell us more about this
rule and how it's strengthened
public health
protection?
[Wendy Cleland-Hamnett]
I'd be happy
to do that.
The rule requires that
contractors and other
construction professionals who
are doing work in homes that
were built before 1978,
or in buildings where
young children are likely
to spend a lot of time,
like daycare centers and
preschools and kindergartens,
that the contractors doing work
there, where they might disturb
lead-based paint, use a set
of actually very simple but
effective lead-safe work
practices that reduce the
amount of lead dust that's
generated and also keep
children from being
exposed to it.
And that rule goes into
effect in April 2010.
[Enesta Jones]
You mentioned the rule is for
contractors and it takes effect
next year.
What about do-it-yourselfers,
how can they protect themselves
and their
families?
[Wendy Cleland-Hamnett]
That's a very
important question.
Before I go into that I'd just
like to mention that families
who are considering hiring
contractors to do work
in their home talk to the
prospective contractors
about using lead-safe work
practices and make sure that
their contractors
will do that.
But for parents or other people
who decide they want to do work
in their homes themselves,
there are actually three
simple steps they can take
to protect themselves and
their families.
The first is to contain the
work area, so any lead dust
that's generated doesn't get
into other parts of the home.
And you can do that by putting
plastic up to contain the area.
We'd encourage people, if they
can remove furniture and drapes
and things from the work area,
to do that before they start
the work so they don't have to
worry about lead dust getting
in there, and any furniture
they can't remove,
floors and so forth,
they cover with heavy duty
plastic and tape it up
so when the job's done,
they can fold up that plastic
and remove it from their house.
They should also make sure to
keep children and pets and
pregnant women out of the area
while the work's being done.
We have some caution tape here
to make sure that family
members and visitors know not
to go into the work area.
The second step they can do is,
while they're doing work,
try to minimize the amount
of dust that's generated.
So, if they're using a sander
or a grinder, try to use one
that has a HEPA attachment
that will suck up the dust
while it's being
generated.
The third step is to clean the
area thoroughly before they
take down the plastic and let
family members into the area.
Wet mop, use a disposable mop,
because you don't want to reuse
a mop that might have
lead dust on it.
Use lots of rinses to
wipe down the area.
Use, again, a HEPA-equipped
vacuum with a HEPA filter
on it to clean carpets and other
surfaces so you get up as much
of the dust
as possible.
[Enesta Jones]
Wendy, you mentioned some of
the cleaning materials that
do-it-yourselfers should have
on hand before they start a
renovation project.
Are there
any others?
[Wendy Cleland-Hamnett]
Well, certainly the people
who are doing the work
should wear a disposable
respirator that you can
buy at your hardware store
or similar sorts of stores;
cleaning fluid, the
misting bottle.
This is one way to sort of keep
the dust down while you're doing
the job, to kind of keep areas
wet so you don't have dust
getting into
the air.
I mentioned heavy duty
plastic and tape.
When you're closing off the area
it's important to tape over the
heating and air conditioning
vents so you're not spreading
dust through the rest
of the home that way.
It's good to have either little
disposable booties that you can
put over your shoes, or a way
to clean your shoes off so
if you're doing work and going
in and out of the area,
you're not tracking dust into
other parts of the house.
[Enesta Jones]
What other specific things
should a do-it-yourselfer do
to prepare a work area before
they start a renovation?
[Wendy Cleland-Hamnett]
I think it's important to
minimize the going in and out
of the work area, to bring all
of your tools and equipment
into the work area before
you start the work.
I think protective equipment
for the person doing the work,
I mentioned the
respirator.
There's just sort of a
disposable suit you can
put on if you want to keep the
lead dust off of your clothes;
a hat.
Just try to think ahead of all
the things that you might need
and have them in the room with
you when you start the work.
[Enesta Jones]
I hear that wet wiping
is important, too.
Just how important is it in
keeping the area clean?
[Wendy Cleland-Hamnett]
Very, very important.
Wet wiping's probably the best
way to keep the dust down
and to make sure that the
dust is gone before you
let family members
back into the area.
So, you know, having your bucket
and water and your mop,
your spray bottle, and all of
that, and using it frequently
as you're doing the work will
help keep the dust down.
It's important for the person
doing the work, too,
so they're not
exposed to it.
[Enesta Jones]
That's why the gloves
are important.
[Wendy Cleland-Hamnett]
Gloves, hat, something to
cover up your clothing.
[Enesta Jones]
EPA and the Centers for Disease
Control are clearly doing a lot
to prevent lead
poisonings.
If a parent, however, feels that
their child may have been
exposed, is there something
that they should do to get
them checked?
[Wendy Cleland-Hamnett]
Yes, if they believe they or
their children have been
exposed, they should contact
their family doctor.
The doctor can do a very simple
blood test to determine if they
or their child have an elevated
level of lead in their blood.
[Enesta Jones]
Thank you for being
here today, Wendy.
[Wendy Cleland-Hamnett]
Well, thank you very much.
I'm happy to
be here.
[Enesta Jones]
This is all important
information that will
help do-it-yourselfers protect
themselves and their families
from lead poisoning.
And for more information on
EPA's lead poisoning prevention
program or to obtain
copies of brochures,
go to www.epa.gov/lead,
or call 1-800-424-LEAD.
See you next time
on Green Scene.